Tulips are true bulbs and multiply by producing offsets, whereas Crocus are corms and the old corm dies each year and a new one develops on top of it. As the corm becomes larger, more flowering stems are produced, similar to Cyclamen. The species Tulips can produce large colonies from a single bulb, but if left undivided for several years, the flowers will become smaller each year. If you lift and divide them periodically, spacing much closer than 12" is feasible. They require good drainage and alkaline soil to perform best. You will probably have to dig deeper than the bulb setting depth and ammend the soil with a porous material, such as composted ground bark, for drainage and to allow for root development. If your soil is acidic, incorporation of Lime (5 lbs per 100 ft.²), along with 5-10-10 or 6-12-12 fertilizer into the soil would enhance performance. Unfortunately, Tulips are very attractive to squirrels, which will dig and eat or store them. Treating the bulbs with Ropel before planting helps, or use a fertilizer that incorporates Coyote urine as a repellent. I cover my bulb plantings(except Daffodils, which squirrels don't bother), with a 1" wire mesh(chicken wire), until the soil settles after a few periods of rainfall or until the bulb foliage dies down in early summer. Once the soil is compacted over the bulbs, the squirrels lose interest in them. I've not planted Tulips in my lawn, only a few thousand Crocus and Iris reticulata. Using a bulb auger and cordless drills, makes short work of an otherwise tedious and backbreaking job. :Good luck! Rb

Well, I don't know. I looked at both those roses on Help Me Find and I guess it could be. Maybe there was something about the way this GW member grew this rose or pruned it that gave it a little different look to it. And the color of the rose on the arbor seems a little coral to me, but that could just be the camera or the light. Thanks for the help. :-)

Susan, I have noticed an abundance of predators this year. I wonder if it is due to all the rain we have had. The shield bugs and that funky black and red bug that Miss Sherry warned about is playing havoc with the cats. I have a very busy squishing weekend.Those black ones are getting on the bordered patchs, both caterpillars and chyrslis. I had a near death experience(not really)with them yesterday. I was just a squishing away when I turned a coneflower leaf and caught a hint of red and black. Just before my fingers reached it I realized it was a black widow. My favorite method of wasp killing is a pair of flip flops. When they are patroling my plants I am patroling them. Smack! Those red wasp do eat the cats. I have found them eating my baby monarchs and black swallowtails. Anyway with all the rain my passionvine has turned to a jungle. It is growing up the rafters of the house and has spread everywhere.It is covered in both gulf and varigated frits. I am pulling it up left and right but cannot get a grip on the spread. I do carefully check what I pull up and move the cats. But whatever variety of passion vine I have is very aggressive. Hope

BOLD TIGER grew here for years (sold it to a club member) but I never saw hummingbirds around it or heard of it being a hummingbird magnet (?)If you want a hummingbird magnet, try some other perennials, like Butterfly bush or hostas,etc! There are lots of better purples than the ones you are mentioning. Some of the archives in this forum mention some really good purples!